In today’s NFL, offensive innovation is key to success, and the Detroit Lions have emerged as one of the most creative and formidable teams in the league, largely due to the brilliance of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. While many teams are relying on similar playbooks, Johnson has managed to craft an offense that blends old-school football fundamentals with modern innovation, allowing the Lions to consistently outsmart their opponents.

The key to Johnson’s success is his mastery of three basic principles of football: numbers, angles, and players. He’s not just a coordinator; he’s a tactician who uses these foundational elements in new ways to create mismatches, confuse defenses, and exploit every inch of the field. Let’s break down how Ben Johnson has transformed the Lions’ offense and why other teams are scrambling to replicate it.

Numbers Game: Overloading the Box to Control the Run

Football, at its core, is a game of numbers — and Ben Johnson knows how to win this battle. One of the most striking features of the Lions’ offense is their ability to manipulate the defense with clever formations and personnel groupings that create numerical advantages.

Against defenses that use a two-high safety look (a popular scheme for stopping the run), Johnson counters by packing the box with blockers. Even when using an 11-personnel formation (one tight end and one running back), he condenses the formation, essentially putting all 11 players into a tight space to outnumber the defense and overpower them.

For example, in a game against the Arizona Cardinals, Johnson made sure to create a 10-man box on almost every play, using tight ends, fullbacks, and even wide receivers as blockers. As a result, when the Lions ran the ball, they created massive running lanes, overwhelming the defense with sheer numbers. This method of stacking players in the box forces the defense to adapt, leaving them vulnerable to play action and the passing game.

Angles: The Power of Misdirection and Motion

While numbers are crucial, angles are what allow Johnson’s offense to be so dynamic. By manipulating the alignment of his players and constantly using motion, Johnson forces defenses to shift and realign, often leaving them in unfavorable positions.

Take, for example, the Lions’ use of motion and misdirection in the run game. Johnson often sends receivers in motion before the snap, or pulls tight ends across the field, creating angles that confuse the defense’s responsibilities. On running plays, these motions are designed to overload one side of the defense, making it easier for the offensive line and running backs to find holes and get through the defense.

In one memorable play against the Rams, the Lions used a tight end and wide receiver motion to create an extra blocker on one side of the field. The motion confused the defense, leaving a running lane for Jahmyr Gibbs to burst through for a big gain. By creating angles that force defenders to react instead of dictating the play, Johnson’s offense consistently wins the battle at the line of scrimmage.

Using Players as Weapons: A Unified Attack

The true genius of Ben Johnson’s offense lies not just in his schemes, but in his ability to get the most out of his players. The NFL is a matchup league, and Johnson understands how to exploit mismatches to maximize his team’s strengths. It’s not enough to have talent — you have to put it in the right position to succeed.

One of the best examples of this is how Johnson utilizes his wide receivers in the run game. Players like Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams are not only key contributors in the passing game but also play crucial roles as blockers in the run game. In condensed formations, Johnson often has his receivers blocking downfield or sealing the edge, creating running lanes for his backs.

Moreover, the Lions have one of the most versatile backfields in the NFL, with Gibbs and David Montgomery both capable of breaking off big plays. Johnson doesn’t just hand them the ball — he places them in positions where they can thrive. Whether it’s a well-timed cutback or hitting a seam created by motion, Johnson’s offense lets his playmakers exploit the space created by his schemes.

Misdirection in the Passing Game: A Classic Johnson Move

Johnson’s brilliance isn’t confined to the run game. He’s equally adept at creating opportunities in the passing game, where misdirection and motion continue to play a vital role. Take the tight end leak play, for example. Johnson often uses the tight end as a decoy, pulling defenders to one side of the field with motion and fake handoffs before springing the tight end wide open on the other side for a big gain. It’s the kind of play that’s difficult to defend because it confuses both the linebackers and the safeties.

Additionally, the Lions often use their receivers in creative ways to help set up the passing game. For instance, when the Lions want to create space for a deep ball, they’ll use motion to clear out one side of the field, freeing up the receiver to run his route with less coverage. It’s the same principle that works in the run game: by shifting the defense and creating mismatches, Johnson makes sure that his quarterback, Jared Goff, has clear options to choose from.

Exploiting the Sidelines and Deep Shots

When all the attention is on the run game or short-range passes, Johnson knows that defenses are vulnerable to the deep ball. By using condensed formations, he creates more space on the field for deep shots down the sidelines. When the defense plays man-to-man coverage, Johnson’s quick, agile receivers can exploit the open space created by these condensed sets. In these situations, Goff’s ability to throw deep with precision becomes a dangerous weapon.

Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, for example, Johnson used a condensed formation to draw the defense in tight, opening up a massive window for a deep pass to St. Brown. The seven-man protection up front allowed Goff to survey the field and make an accurate throw, further demonstrating how Johnson’s schemes provide both protection and the ability to attack defenses with big plays.

The Endgame: Staying One Step Ahead

Ben Johnson’s success isn’t just about individual plays or specific game strategies — it’s about his ability to stay one step ahead of opposing defenses. By creating confusion with motion, leveraging mismatches with personnel groupings, and exploiting angles, Johnson constantly forces defenders to react to what they see, instead of allowing them to dictate the action. This style of offense is both unpredictable and efficient, a rare combination that makes the Lions one of the most difficult teams to defend in the NFL.

As defenses evolve, so does Johnson’s offense. He’s not simply relying on what worked in the past — he’s always tweaking his schemes to ensure his team remains unpredictable and difficult to stop. It’s this forward-thinking approach that has made Johnson one of the most sought-after coordinators in the league. Whether it’s through run-game creativity, strategic motion, or exploiting mismatches in the passing game, Johnson’s ability to outsmart defenses has made the Lions one of the most exciting and effective offenses in the NFL.

In conclusion, the Detroit Lions are outsmarting the NFL by blending old-school football principles with cutting-edge innovation. By using numbers, angles, and player talent in new ways, Ben Johnson has built an offense that is as cerebral as it is explosive. With Johnson at the helm, the Lions have set a new standard for offensive creativity, and it’s clear that other teams will be scrambling to catch up. For now, Detroit remains ahead of the curve, and if they can continue executing at a high level, there’s no telling how far this innovative offense can take them.